Characterization of 3D Printed Metal-PLA Composite Scaffolds for Biomedical Applications

• Published in: Polymers 2022-07, Vol.14 (13), p.2754
• Main Authors: Buj-Corral, Irene, Sanz-Fraile, Héctor, Ulldemolins, Anna, Tejo-Otero, Aitor, Domínguez-Fernández, Alejandro, Almendros, Isaac, Otero, Jorge
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 3-D printers; 3D printing; Additive manufacturing; Alloys; Analysis; Automation; Biocompatibility; Biomedical materials; Biomolecules; Bone marrow; Bronzes; Carbon; Cell growth; Communication; Composite materials; Corrosion; Filler materials; Fused deposition modeling; Identification and classification; Lactic acid; Mechanical properties; Metals; Methods; Polylactic acid; Polymers; Porosity; Porous materials; Prototyping; Rapid prototyping; Redevelopment; Scaffolds; Software; Stainless steel; Tensile strength; Three dimensional composites; Three dimensional printing; Tissue engineering
• ISSN: 2073-4360; 2073-4360
• DOI: 10.3390/polym14132754

Three-dimensional printing is revolutionizing the development of scaffolds due to their rapid-prototyping characteristics. One of the most used techniques is fused filament fabrication (FFF), which is fast and compatible with a wide range of polymers, such as PolyLactic Acid (PLA). Mechanical properties of the 3D printed polymeric scaffolds are often weak for certain applications. A potential solution is the development of composite materials. In the present work, metal-PLA composites have been tested as a material for 3D printing scaffolds. Three different materials were tested: copper-filled PLA, bronze-filled PLA, and steel-filled PLA. Disk-shaped samples were printed with linear infill patterns and line spacing of 0.6, 0.7, and 0.8 mm, respectively. The porosity of the samples was measured from cross-sectional images. Biocompatibility was assessed by culturing Human Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal on the surface of the printed scaffolds. The results showed that, for identical line spacing value, the highest porosity corresponded to bronze-filled material and the lowest one to steel-filled material. Steel-filled PLA polymers showed good cytocompatibility without the need to coat the material with biomolecules. Moreover, human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells differentiated towards osteoblasts when cultured on top of the developed scaffolds. Therefore, it can be concluded that steel-filled PLA bioprinted parts are valid scaffolds for bone tissue engineering.